The United Nations humanitarian chief has warned that millions of people across the world will die because of a critical crisis in global humanitarian funding. The worsening crisis has been triggered by brutal funding cuts to humanitarian aid by the new United States administration, which took office at the end of January 2025 and has eliminated most American humanitarian funding and is dismantling the world's largest government aid agency.
Global humanitarian funding has plummeted in 2025, largely due to these extreme US funding cuts, but other major donors such as the United Kingdom and Germany have also scaled back their support. While global funding has been declining since 2022, despite rising needs, this year's levels are expected to fall to record lows.
The situation is so desperate because, for years, the United States has been the largest donor of humanitarian aid. In 2024, the US government provided more than 40 percent of all humanitarian assistance tracked by the United Nations. The country's sudden withdrawal from this critical role has left a vacuum that cannot be filled without additional funding.
The consequences of the funding cuts are already being felt across the globe. Humanitarian organizations, including UN agencies and non-governmental aid organizations, have been severely impacted and have responded with drastic measures, including suspending many field programs that are essential to save lives and alleviate human suffering for those in greatest need.
An urgent appeal for action
As this crisis deepens, DONARE is urgently appealing to governments, corporations, foundations, and individuals to step in and donate now to reputable humanitarian organizations to save lives before it's too late.
While DONARE does not collect donations itself, the website offers curated resources to help individuals choose organizations that align with their values. Website visitors can easily browse organizations based on specific themes, such as: Humanitarian Crisis Relief, Refugees and IDPs, Children in Need, Hunger and Food Insecurity, Medical Humanitarian Aid, Vulnerable Groups, or Faith-Based Humanitarian Organizations.
Alternatively, DONARE presents curated lists by country, such as: Humanitarian Organizations United States, Humanitarian Organizations United Kingdom, Humanitarian Organizations Canada, and Humanitarian Organizations Australia.
Or visitors can turn to the DONARE Directory of Humanitarian Organizations for brief descriptions of well-known and relevant international UN agencies, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), and Red Cross-affiliated organizations that respond to humanitarian crises around the world and whose life-saving work anyone can support with a donation.
For those, who prefer not to deal with the hassle of making a choice, the easiest way is to donate to the United Nations Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) - one of the fastest means to get emergency aid to the world's most vulnerable people. Every contribution can help save lives and can reach more than 300 million people caught up in emergencies.
UN Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF)
https://cerf.un.org/
Donate to CERF now
https://cerf.un.org/donate (UN member states, international organizations, corporations and foundations)
https://crisisrelief.un.org/donate (Individuals, corporations and foundations)
Hold your government accountable
DONARE also encourages citizens to urge their governments to reverse these brutal funding cuts and step up where other nations have failed. For those who live in countries where appealing to the government may jeopardize personal freedom or safety, please exercise caution.
DONARE does not believe that elected governments around the world have the support of a majority of their electorate for brutal funding cuts that, if not reversed, will mean a death sentence for millions.
DONARE does not believe that all 77 million voters who picked the new US President in November 2024 - whatever their motives - want millions of the world's most vulnerable people to die as a result of the policies of the new US administration, and would knowingly endorse such policies.
Similarly, DONARE does not believe that 10 million voters who brought in the new UK government in 2024 agree with the policies pursued by the British government that leave tens of millions of people without urgently needed access to life-saving aid.
This is not about politics; this is about human lives. These cuts will lead to unnecessary deaths, and reversing them is an ethical imperative.
Every contribution matters
Even small donations can make the difference between life and death. Around the world, hundreds of millions of people are in urgent need of humanitarian assistance and lack access to basic needs such as food, clean water, shelter, healthcare and protection. Urgent support can help alleviate this suffering and ensure the survival of vulnerable populations. It is critical that those willing stand together to prevent the loss of millions of lives. The time to act is now.